Cooling system fob buildings



Jan. 5, w43.

J. L. ANDERSON TORCH MACHINE Filed Feb. l, 1941 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VE NTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5, 1943. .1. l.. ANDERSON 2,307,442

TORCH MACHINE Filed Feb. l, 1941 ,'7 Sheets-Sheet E5v INV ENTOR.

j ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5, 1943. J. L, ANDERSON A 2,307,442

TORCH MACHlNE Filed Feb. l, 1941 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5, 1943. J, L., ANDERSQN 2,307,442

TRCH MACHINE Filed Feb. l, 1941 7 Sheets-Sheet ln N 1N V ENTOR.

A TTORNEY,

Jan. 5, 1943. J. L. ANDERSON TORCH MACHINE l 1941 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Feb.

lNvENTOR,

' ATTORNEY.

BY j

J. L.. ANDERSON Jan. 5, 1943.

TORCH MACH I N l, 1941 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Feb.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 5, 1943 cooLrNG SYSTEM Fon nUnmNGs Robert W. Richards, Denver, Colo. Application september 12, 1940, semi Nq. 356,465 (ci. 251-8) 3 Claims.

This invention f relates to an apparatus and system for coolingbuildings and has for its principal object the provision of a cooling system which will employ the steam radiators that are ordinarily kemployed for heat, as a cooling unit to cool the rooms of a building during hot weather.

Other objects of the invention are to provide means for gathering and employing the condensation from the cooling units to wash and clean incoming air; to employ the ordinary steam heating pipes as a jacket for insulating and protecting the pipingconveying the cooling medium; to provide means foradmitting air from the exterior and discharging air from the interior in which the heat of the incoming air will be transferred to the outgoing air so as to reduce the accumulation of outside heat to a minimum; and to provide a system and mechanism which will not corrode the steam heating piping and equipment.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and eiliciency. 'Ihese will become more apparent from the following descriptfon.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference ishad to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawings and throughout the description.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through a typical building illustrating the invention placed therein.

'numerals as follows: basement I0, outer wall II,

`floors I2, heating boiler I3, steam main I4, main in its entirety by the numeral I3. of any suitable type. The refrigeration unit expands its refrigeratin-g iiuid into a cooling coil I9 which is installed in an adjacent cooling tank 20. A second compressor unit 2l is installed in the basement with its intake connected into the return line I6 of the steam heating system by means of a moisture trap and a by-pass pipe 22 controlled by means of a valve 23.

Any suitable gaseous compound or element maybe employed in this system as the heat transfer medium. It is preferred, however, to employ a non-oxidizing and non-corrosive gas such as helium. Helium is highly satisfactory for this purpose since it has no corrosive effects cn the piping or radiators and since it has no harmful eifects on human beings should a leak develop in the system Air could be employed, but when using air, there is a tendency to accelerate corrosion and oxidation on the steam radiator equipment from the moisture .ther-ein. Whatever is used, however, will be herein designated as the cooling medium.

'Ihe cooling medium is compressed in the compressor 2l and forced under vpressure through a pressure pipe 25, controlled by a valve 26, into the cooling tank 20. The chilled cooling medium flows from the tank 20 through a cooling main 21 controlled by a main valve 28. The cooling vmain 21 is of relatively small pipe or tubing and passes directly into the interior of the steam main Il] through any suitable reducing pipe fitting 29. It continues through the interior of the main to each of the steam radiators I1 in the building. Adjacent each radiator, the cooling main exits from the steam main through a suit able packed'iitting 30 placed ahead of the radiator control valve 3l.

An expansion tube 32 is extended throughou the length of the radiator I1. This tube may be' inserted through a separate opening in the radiator or may be inserted through the same opening that the steam enters the radiator. The latter method is illustrated in Fig. 1. The cooling main is connected to the expansion tube 32. The flow to the latter ls controlled by a cooling valve 33. The expansion tube 32 is provided within the radiator with a series of very` small discharge orifices.. There is preferably one orifice directed into each of the sections of the radiators I1 as indicated at 34, Fig. 6. The operation of the system as thus far de scribed is as followsiThe main steam valve I5, the return valve 24, and the radiator-valves 3I are closed. 'I'he valves 23, 26, 28, and 33 are opened. The refrigeration unit cools the cooling coil I9 and, of course, cools the entire interior of the cooling tank 2U. The cooling medium under high compression iiows through the interior of the tank 20 and thence discharges through the cooling mains 21 by means of which it is carried to the various radiators in the building. At each radiator, this cold, highly compressed, gaseous medium is expanded at each of the orifices 34 into each of the cells of the radiators |1.

The expanded gases are drawn from the radiators through the return piping |6 by the suction of the compressor 2|. This maintains la partial vacuum in each radiator which facilitates the expansion of the cooling medium and increases the cooling eiiiciency. Each radiator in the building, therefore, will quickly drop to Aan exceedingly low temperature.

` 'I'he radiator temperature is so low that it will create frost and ice on the radiator from the natural humidity of the air in the building. Some means must therefore be provided to handle this condensate. 'I'his is accomplished by enclosing each radiator in a housing 35 having air discharge ports 36 adjacent its top. Air is constantly forced into the housing 35 by means of a suitable electrically operated blower 3,1 which communicates with the bottom of the housing through a suitable air conduit 38.

In some installations the circulation of the air through the housing will be sufficient to remove the frost and ice from the radiator and maintain the room air at the proper humidifed point.

In other installations where the natural air is very humid, there will be a constant dripping of water from the radiator |1. This water is collected in a collecting pan 39 at the bottom of each housing 35. The water level in the pan is controlled by means of a valve oat 40 which, when it rises to a certain predetermined point, opens a drain valve 4| to a drain pipe 42. The

drain pipe from each radiator opens into the re turn piping I6 from that radiator and is controlled by means of a suitable Water valve 43. The returning'water from the return piping I6 is separated and collected by the trap 44 in the basement, where it is removed from the flow of the refrigeration medium. By such an arrangement, the condensate from the radiator which is constantly removed results in a dehumidifying of the room air.

In very dry climates, it may be desirable to return a portionof the moisture of the air. This is accomplished by connecting the air conduit 38 into the drain pan 39 below the water level thereof so that the air can bubble up through the water. The bubbles are broken by a first splash screen 45 positioned immediately above the water in the pan 39 and by a second splash screen 46 positioned mid-way in the height of the housing 35. The first screen prevents the water from splashing over the top of the pan. The second screen removes any drops of water from the air flow before it discharges from the ports 36. The

when the latter lowers to a predetermined point, as shown in Fig. 4, it will close the drain valve 4| and open the needle valve 48 to maintain a predetermined water level in the pan 39.

It is preferred to enclose the entire float and drain valve mechanism in a suitable collecting screen 49 to prevent accumulating debris from A suitable flap valve 5| is employed to control;

the opening 50 and also an interior intake opening 52 to the interior of the room. Thus, by adjusting the valve 5|, either or both interior or exterior air may be admitted to the blower 31.

Naturally, when additional air is forced into the room surplus air must be allowed to-exit from the room. The exiting air is cold and the inair is still further dehumidied by lcontact with cold radiator surface.

In exceedingly dry climates there will' not be suiicient condensate on the radiator to maintain the pan 39 filled. In such cases a water pipe 41 is installed to each of the pans 39. This pipe may connect with the city water system and may be controlled by the float 40, which also controls the drain valve 4|, through the medium of a needle -valve 48 positioned above the float s o that coming air is Warm. Therefore, there is an expensive loss of refrigeration betweenthe two flows. A means is provided, therefore, to vexchange the heat of the incoming air to the cold outgoing air. I i This is accomplished by means of a heatexchanging conduit 6| which isv divided into aplu. rality of parallel passages by means of longitudinal partitions 53 extending from the opening 5|! to the blower 31. 'I'he Dartitionsarepreferably provided with heat exchange ns54. The-alten nate passages are intake passages and'communicate between the openings '50 andthe intake o! the blower 31 for incoming air. Each intermediate passage is an exhaust passage and communicates between the opening 5U and ports`55open ing to the room to accommodate the exiting` air from the room. The warm incomingxair" will transfer its heat to the fins 54 and partitions 53 and this heat will be collected by the outgoingair and carried from the room with verylittle loss of eiiiciency.

The heat which is removed from the rooms is radiated from the compressor 2| and from the refrigerating unit I8. This heat may be -conducted away by enclosing these units in suitable enclosing housings from which the heat kmay be conducted to the exterior of thebuilding. As illustrated, the heated air from these units is conducted from the basement I0 into the smoke stack 51 of the heating boiler I3 through an intake 58 controlled by means of a suitable damper 59. The stack carries the hot air to the ,exterior of the building. Additional airis admitted to the basement from the exterior in any desired way. 1 j

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the yscope of the appended claims. without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patentis: 1. Means for cooling a room in which a steam radiatoris employed and having a steam pipe. for conducting steam to said radiator comprising: a refrigerating unit f`or refrigerating a gaseous, cooling medium; a conduit for said medium extending to a position adjacent saidl radiator through the interior of said steam pipe; means for compressing said refrigerated cooling medium medium through said cooling chamber; means for conducting said chilled cooling medium to said radiator; mean/s" for expanding said compressed cooling mdium within said radiator; a conduit for"y returning ,the expanded cooling medium to Isaidfcomi'ire'ssor, said rst conduit being positioned within the steam mains; and a valve for controlling'the rst conduit independent of the steam mains.

3. In a steam heating' system for buildings having steam radiators with steam mains leading to said radiators and drain lines leading from said radiators, means for circulating a cooling medium through said radiators comprising: 'a plant for refrigerating said medium; la conduit extending from the reirigerating plant to the radiators in the hollow interiors of the said steam mains; and a suction device connected to said drain lines for withdrawing the cooling medium therefrom after it has passed through said radiators and returning same to said'refrigeration plant.

ROBERT W. RICHARDS. 

